HIGH ROLLER 🎰

The Lincoln Ledger: July 26th, 2024

July 26, 2024

Happy Friday Ledgers,

Northwest Lincoln is set to be the home of a new park. This week, the City of Lincoln, in collaboration with Lower Platte South NRD, announced the acquisition of 154 acres from a private seller for conservation and recreational purposes. The park, estimated to span 58 acres upon completion, will be named Cornhusker Bank Park 🙄 and is slated for a partial opening in 2025.

In this week’s issue:

  • High Roller: LB13 proposed to legalize online sports betting in NE.

  • What To Do: County fair, Platte River, and Olympic bingeing.

  • Sportz: “You cannot be serious!”

  • Neighborhood Watch: Banana door beauty 🍌.

🧃 The Kool-Aid (Rhule-Aid)
It’s that time of the year when our enthusiasm-spiked fandom fuels a spiral of delusion in the month leading up to the first Husker football game. The hype is here, but please drink responsibly.

- Landon

HIGH ROLLER

Adam Sandler GIF by A24

Gif by a24 on Giphy

Sports betting in Nebraska? 🎲

Nebraskans want to gamble. At least, that’s what the data shows. According to reporting by the Lincoln Journal Star, over 2 million attempts to place online sports wagers were made from January to June 2024 alone. For reference, there are 1.9 million residents in Nebraska—do the math, and that’s just over one bet for every citizen of the Cornhusker state.

NE gambling today… Currently, casino gambling is legal in Nebraska, generating tax revenue for the state. However, online sports betting platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel are geo-fenced, preventing Nebraskans from participating. Really want to bet on the Husker football game? You’ll need a good VPN or a quick trip across state lines to unblock your wager.

New bill for special session… Yesterday, on the first day of a special legislative session focused on property taxes, Lincoln Senator Elliot Bostar introduced a new bill proposal, LB13, which would legalize online sports betting in Nebraska. The proposed bill would direct a substantial portion of the tax revenues generated toward offsetting property taxes.

📊 By the numbers:

  • 4.5 Million: Blocked attempts in Nebraska over the past year (July 2023 to June 2024).

  • 90%: The percentage of tax funds generated by LB13 that would go to the Property Tax Credit Cash Fund.

  • 64,000: Number of Nebraskans who have opened online accounts for DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Entertainment in the last year.

🐻 The bear case… The major argument against online sports betting is that it incentivizes addictive behaviors and can lead to financial ruin. Additional concerns include the pressures put on college athletes and the risk of corruption from those close to the organizations.

Should Nebraska legalize sports betting?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Daily Trojan, Joshua Sacher - The unfortunate ugly side of sports gambling

WHAT TO DO

This Is Fine GIF

Giphy

County fair, Platte River, and Olympic binge-watching.

The weather will be beautiful this weekend. Get outside and soak it up!

🐴 Saunders County Fair
Tonight, take a short trip to Wahoo for the Saunders County Fair. Enjoy the excitement of the rodeo, savor a corndog, and immerse yourself in the fair atmosphere. Cowboy boots are optional, but good vibes are mandatory. The rodeo kicks the dust up at 8:00 PM. We recommend being there a bit early to get a spot.

🚣‍♀️ Kayak the Platte: Louisville, NE
On Saturday, call your friends, load up the cooler, and hit the Platte River. You’ll rent tubes and/or kayaks for a day on the water in Louisville, NE. Reserve your rentals ahead with Platte River Rentals and take advantage of the complimentary shuttle. Or, call your friend with a truck and load up your own gear.

🥇 Olympics binge-watching
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, there is a little-known event that starts tonight. Oui, oui, it’s the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. We’ll grab our favorite French pastries from Le Quartier and host a little mid-morning watch party with friends.

SPORTZ

Sporting headlines from around the capital.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Banana door beauty 🍌

This week, we bring you a banana-doored beauty that’s move-in ready and stuffed full of old-home charm. This ranch-style residence is perfect for a young family or an empty nester ready to downsize. You’d spend your evenings in the backyard with a bonfire and your winters in front of the adorable fireplace.

Should you purchase, you’re starting from an excellent base. Any updates will be cosmetic, and that is a true luxury. Similar to a few others we’ve covered, this one falls into the “well-kept, cute, old home” category. We must protect them at all costs.

Want to see it in person? There is an open house this Sunday from 1:00-2:30 PM.

The Details:

  • 2 beds, 2 baths

  • 1,527 sq/ft

  • Built in 1940

  • Stumps for outdoor chairs.

❤️ KEEP: The fireplace, the built-in cabinets, the hardwood floors, the little garage, and the telephone nook.

🗑️ TOSS: The kitchen backsplash, the green paint in the bathroom, and the downstairs built-in that was made for a 2000s-era flat screen. Also, add a pergola in the backyard to give yourself a little shade.

CHECKLIST

An over-ambitious weekend to-do list.

  • Organize that annoying kitchen cabinet with all the small appliances

  • Pick up a swimsuit at an end-of-summer sale.

  • Update your phone and laptop software.

  • Add a keypad to your entryway door.

  • Get the dog hair off your couch. (use a Chom Chom for best results and no sticky paper)

HEADLINES

More news from around the capital.

🐯 Weekly Wildcard:
One headline (or post) we never saw coming.

ABOUT TLL

We created this sliver of the internet to make it easy for no-coasters to keep tabs on what’s happening in Lincoln and to give you new ideas on how to spend your time.